Oh, hey, it’s December. The winter of our annual discontent. Time to act like talking about music really matters, and start handing out final scores and ranking shit. It’s kind of like voting in the sense that if we don’t do it, RollingStone’s bullshit-ass U2-topped lists (don’t click that garbage) is worth twice as much. But beyond that, we don’t care much for the democratic process around here. At least when it comes to the best songs, we prefer to let every writer curate their own year-end list, presented here warts and all. Because we’re all different, and you’re all different. The only real value in these lists is to help you catch great music you almost missed, so why over-think it or box-in the selection? Here we go.
Skwerl
1. Death From Above 1979, White Is Red
2. Lorde, Yellow Flicker Beat
3. The Black Keys, Weight Of Love
4. Against Me!, Black Me Out
5. Crosses (†††), The Epilogue
6. Jack White, Lazaretto
7. The Birds Of Satan, Too Far Gone To See
8. Ume, Black Stone
9. Jessica Hernandez, Dead Brains
10. St. Vincent, Bring Me Your Loves
11. Antemasque, People Forget
12. Alain Johannes, Saturn Wheel
13. Black Map, Ropes
14. Hark, Mythopoeia
15. John Garcia, 5,000 Miles
16. Grieves, Shreds
17. 4e, SwĠ
18. The Crystal Method, Difference
19. Nicole Atkins, Red Ropes
20. Royal Blood, Out Of The Black
21. Brody Dalle, Blood In Gutters
22. Warpaint, Keep It Healthy
23. Lana Del Rey, West Coast
24. Earth & Mark Lanegan, There Is A Serpent Coming
25. Beck, Blue Moon
Fernando
1. Alain Johannes, Kaleidoscope
2. Jack White, Would You Fight For My Love?
3. Nicole Atkins, The Worst Hangover
4. The Horrors, So Now You Know
5. Slipknot, Custer
6. Brody Dalle, Underworld
7. Death From Above 1979, The Physical World
8. Failure, Come Crashing
9. Flying Lotus, Coronus, The Terminator
10. St. Vincent, Huey Newton
11. Antemasque, Drown All Your Witches
12. Crosses (†††), Blk Stallion
13. Mastodon, Chimes At Midnight
14. Nick Oliveri’s Uncontrollable, The Robot Man
15. Mac Demarco, Brother
16. U2, Sleep Like A Baby Tonight
17. Mark Lanegan Band, Floor Of The Ocean
18. Soundgarden, Storm
19. Jenny Lewis, She’s Not Me
20. Foo Fighters, Subterranean
21. Pixies, Blue Eyed Hexe
22. Far From Alaska, Deadmen
23. Swans, Oxygen (Edit)
24. Alpha Male Tea Party, You Eat Hummus, Of Course You Listen To Genesis
25. Aphex Twin, Produk 29 [101]
Justito
1. Phish, Wingsuit
2. Joseph Arthur, Stephanie Says
3. Ryan Adams, Stay With Me
4. Warpaint, Love Is To Die
5. The Afghan Whigs, Can Rova
6. St. Vincent, Birth In Reverse
7. TV On The Radio, Careful You
8. Fartbarf, Panopticon
9. Kasabian, Bumblebee
10. Against Me!, Bin Laden As Crucified Christ
11. Aeges, As I Grow Old
12. Slipknot, The Devil In I
13. Killer Be Killed, Melting Of My Marrow
14. Every Time I Die, El Dorado
15. Mastodon, High Road
16. Meghan Trainor, All About That Bass
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Zac
1. Against Me!, Transgender Dysphoria Blues
2. Cloud Nothings, Psychic Trauma
3. Lorde, Yellow Flicker Beat
4. Mac Demarco, Passing Out Pieces
5. Jack White, Lazaretto
6. Conor Oberst, Hundreds Of Ways
7. Neil Young, Needle Of Death
8. Modern Baseball, Your Graduation
9. Foo Fighters, I Am A River
10. Knuckle Puck, Oak Street
11. Joyce Manor, Catalina Fight Song
12. Against Me!, Drinking With The Jocks
13. Aaron West, You Ain’t No Saint
14. Ed Sheeran, Sing
15. Sia, Chandelier
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Stu
1. Black Girls, Lover
2. Jack White, Lazaretto
3. Flying Lotus, Never Catch Me
4. Kendrick Lamar, I
5. Bahamas, All The Time
6. Spoon, Do You
7. Benjamin Booker, Violent Shiver
8. The Black Keys, Fever
9. Avers, Evil
10. Drive-By Truckers, Made Up English Oceans
11. Sharon Jones, Stranger To My Happiness
12. The Preatures, Is This How You Feel?
13. Lee Bains III, The Weeds Downtown
14. Drive-By Truckers, Shit Shots Count
15. Schoolboy Q, Collard Greens
16. Sleepwalkers, Hatchet
17. Sturgill Simpson, Turtles All The Way Down
18. Old Smokey, Everyday I’m Building A Fool
19. Benjamin Booker, Have You Seen My Son?
20. Avers, Harvest
21. Black Girls, Soul Tornado
22. Butcher Brown, Sticky July
23. Sleepwalkers, Prey And Pressure
24. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, The Kudzu And The Concrete
25. Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, Sorry I Stole Your Man
Morad
1. Lana Del Rey, Brooklyn Baby
2. St. Vincent, Digital Witness
3. Sharon Van Etten, Your Love Is Killing Me
4. FKA Twigs, Two Weeks
5. Mac Demarco, Passing Out Pieces
6. TV On The Radio, Happy Idiot
7. The Black Keys, Weight Of Love
8. Jack White, Would You Fight For My Love?
9. David Bowie, Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)
10. Flying Lotus, Never Catch Me
11. The New Basement Tapes, Kansas City
12. The War On Drugs, Under The Pressure
13. Neil Young, Needle Of Death
14. Thom Yorke, Nose Grows Some
15. Hans Zimmer, Coward
16. Pink Floyd, It’s What We Do
17. Beck, Heart Is A Drum
18. Jenny Lewis, Just One Of The Guys
19. Brian Eno & Karl Hyde, Lilac
20. Caribou, Back Home
21. Warpaint, Love Is To Die
22. Benjamin Booker, Old Hearts
23. Dum Dum Girls, Trouble Is My Name
24. The Raveonettes, Summer Ends
25. Iceage, Against The Moon
Rory
1. Death From Above 1979, The Physical World
2. Father John Misty, Bored In The USA
3. Pup, Reservoir
4. Run The Jewels, Love Again
5. SBTRKT, New Dorp. New York
6. Youth Lagoon, Worms
7. Damon Albarn, Photographs
8. Tove Lo, Stay High (Remix)
9. Metronomy, I’m Aquarius
10. Against Me!, FUCKMYLIFE666
11. Alt-J, Every Other Freckle
12. Jack White, Would You Fight For My Love?
13. The Voidz, Where The Eagles Fly
14. Liars, Mask Maker
15. TV On The Radio, Happy Idiot
16. Ty Segall, Feel
17. Cloud Nothings, Psychic Trauma
18. Broken Bells, After The Disco
19. Death From Above 1979, Crystal Ball
20. Chromeo, Sexy Socialite
21. Waterbodies, What The French Call ‘Les Incompetants’
22. Flying Lotus, Turkey Dog Coma
23. Brody Dalle, Parties For Prostitutes
24. Action Bronson, Easy Rider
25. Black Lips, Dorner Party
Avataria
1. Death From Above 1979, The Physical World
2. Lorde, Yellow Flicker Beat
3. FKA Twigs, Lights On
4. Warpaint, Hi
5. Alt-J, Hunger Of The Pine
6. Lana Del Rey, Ultraviolence
7. Royal Blood, Out Of The Black
8. Nicole Atkins, Red Ropes
9. Father John Misty, Bored In The USA
10. Dark Horses, Live On Hunger
11. Alain Johannes, Saturn Wheel
12. St. Vincent, Digital Witness
13. Against Me!, Drinking With The Jocks
14. Death Grips, Two Heavens
15. Ume, Chase It Down
16. Soundgarden, Kristi
17. Son Lux & Lorde, Easy (Switch Screens)
18. Brody Dalle, Don’t Mess With Me
19. Grimes, Go
20. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Empty Places
